Better Days
by WichitaRed
Summary: Better Days is pre-amnesty set during their days with the Devil's Hole Gang. Summary: Arriving back the Kid has a tale of escape, which just does not sound plausible.


**Better Days is pre-amnesty** set during their days with the Devil's Hole Gang.

**Summary:** Arriving back the Kid has a tale of escape, which just does not sound plausible.

"Hey y'all, here they come." Kyle hollered hopping off the bunk house porch smiling so big he looked fit to bust. "Why I was just in there telling the boys we ought to go searching for y'all."

"Now Kyle doesn't you have more faith in us than that?"

"Why sure I do Kid, but your horses showed up some time ago-" Kyle answered his ever-present smile faltering as he took in the Hannibal Heyes's disheveled appearance. "Uhm, Heyes is ya alright?"

"I've had better days." Heyes grumbled taking off his hat and running a hand through his long dark hair.

"Better days?" Kid chortled, earning himself a black look.

"Yeah better." Heyes grumped shoving his hat back on. "I don't feel like discussing this one any further."

"But Heyes, ya horses came in without ya and that plain ain't natural. Kyle said looking from Kid to Heyes. "And ya mare wasn't even wearing her saddle."

"I thought as much." Kid said laying a hand on his cousin's shoulder. "Ah com on Heyes, who would've guessed your plan, would go so wrong?"

"I would." Wheat mumbled under his breath, stepping up next to Kyle.

Hearing him, a frown creased Kid's face, "Now Wheat I've done told you I don't want to hear you speaking ill of Heyes."

"Oh I wasn't Kid, I wasn't. Just saying how me and the boys here have been worried. Weren't we boys?" The men who had filtered in around them nodded their heads in agreement. "So tell us. Why did you two, decide to walk home?" Wheat asked throwing, a sly look to Lobo who grinned at him like a mutt waiting for a scrap of meat.

Shrugging out of his sheepskin coat, Kid caught his partner's eye and quirking him a smile, he tossed his coat onto the porch railing.

"Ah Hell Kid go ahead. I know you are chomping at the bit to tell them just don't expect me to stick around listening to you." Heyes said stomping off to his cabin.

His show of temper only made Kid snort and shake his head, "Who caught up Bay and Kate when they came strolling home?"

Preacher raised a finger, "I did."

"How were they?" Seeing Kyle's mouth open, Kid held up his hand, "Other than minus one saddle."

"They were both good, rubbed them down and turned them out with the others." Preacher said.

"Appreciate it." Kid sighed looking to the high ridges surrounding them. "I suppose we'll have to send a search party out for his saddle."

"Kid, what happened?" Kyle asked.

"Yeah what happened?" Wheat said although it was not a question so much as a challenge.

Hearing the belligerent tone, Kid's nostrils flared, looking the older outlaw over he decided, he did not feel like locking horns with him at this time so instead of acknowledging him, he turned his attention back to the others. "You boys know the steep, humped-backed ridge with the river curving along its basin?"

"Hell yes." Wheat spat out. "That ridge is one of the many natural barriers keeping the rest of the world from getting to close."

"Exactly, so when Heyes reined in alongside it saying, 'Kid our horses are better equipped for hard terrain then the town horses that posse is mounted on and -"

"Posse! Y'all had a posse after ya?" Lobo said with a gulp, his smile sliding from his face.

Kid nodded, "Anyways, as I was saying, Heyes tells me, 'once we reach the top, we'll be within sight of our front door and whoever is on sentry duty can make this posse think twice about following any further.' To be honest, even though what he said made sense, I still didn't think much of his idea. Hell there has been many times we ain't seen situations the same way. But, then again, I'll take one of Heyes's cockeyed plans over being captured any day. Besides Heyes already had Kate headed up. So what else could I do except follow them? So Bay is climbing up that slippery slope just as Heyes said he would but ahead of me, I can see his mare is struggling. Watching her, it came to me for . . . oh about the hundredth time how he needs to trade her in for a bigger animal with more endurance. Still, you all know how he feels about Kate and how anything, any of us bring up about her is a losing battle. So, I am keeping an eye on them and before we even make it mid-way, Kate has had enough. So she sets to mule-kick bucking across the face of the incline and as I am avoiding her, I see Heyes's saddle is sliding sideways.

Several of the outlaws exchange glances and shake their heads. For they all know, Heyes is a stickler when it comes to keeping equipment in top-notch condition and knowing this about their leader, they felt sure the Kid was confabulating some wild yarn.

Seeing their expressions, Kid let go a big toothy grin, "You all said you wanted to know what happened, well I am telling you - when that saddle slipped, Heyes shot right out of it." Seeing their open skepticism, Kid began laughing, "Guys I am telling you the truth. The cinch gave out, Heyes went rolling and I was left having to avoid him and his mare as she blew sky high with her saddle flapping along like a useless wing."

"Well then if all this was happening . . . where then was the posse?" Wheat smirked through an expression, which clearly said, he had found the thread to unravel all of the Kid's lies.

"Why Wheat, that is precisely what I was thinking. I kept saying to myself, 'How close are they? How close are they?' So, the second Bay and I were on level ground, I set to searching for Heyes and seeing him climbing to his feet, raced over to swing him up behind me. But, you won't believe what that hardheaded cousin of mine says to me. He tells me, Bay being so close behind Kate on the way up, agitated her and it was my fault she flew off the handle and thusly he had no intention on climbing up behind me."

"What?!" Lobe exclaimed.

"Exactly!" Kid said rolling his eyes. "I am staring down at him and I can hear the posse's hooves pounding on bedrock. So I know they will be upon us before Heyes can get re-mounted on Kate. So I don't mind saying, I lost my temper. I cannot recall what I said. But I do know while I cursing his arrogant stubborn self, he just stood there looking at me as calm as a toad basking in the sun. Then he says, 'Kid the posse is too damn close to flee now so I aim to sit in the blackberry patch near the stream and let them run on by, following Kate and Bay's trails back to the Hole."

"That means Heyes would be leaving you to fend off the posse all alone." Kyle said.

"Same thought I had. I swear I got so mad; I could not put two-words bad enough together to call him. Of course, that is when Heyes shook his head and told me, 'You blamed fool - I ain't sending you out as bait. Get the hell off your horse and send him after Kate.' Hearing his words was like a light going off and I finally saw Heyes's plan. So I did exactly as he said."

"Why that was a good idea." Kyle chirped. "Fact it does sounds just like a Hannibal Heyes plan. If I ever heard one."

"Hold up. Hold up. We never got to take pot shots at no posse." Kane said. "I mean I saw Kate and Bay come trailing in but there t'wernt anyone behind'em."

"Well that would be because they never made it that far." Kid smiled pulling off his gloves and tucking them in his gun belt. "You see it all was about to take a turn for the worse, a whole lot worse. Imagine, here is Heyes and I hunkered down in them thorn bushes. It is hot, there are bees buzzing all around and then the damn posse decides to stop and water its horses."

Wheat started laughing hard.

Kid flicked a hard look at him.

"Apologize Kid, just love the idea of Heyes being trapped this way."

Kid shook his head, turning his attention back to the others, "Now by the way my knees were beginning to complain, I figure Heyes and I had to have been squatting there a good ten minutes, when he hisses at me, "Kid break off breathing down my neck, will you?' This confused because I was not behind him but off to his side. So when I look his direction, I see it has gotten a whole lot worse for the pair of us." Pausing in his narration, Kid pulls out a half burnt-down cigar from his vest pocket.

"What did ya see?"

"What's that Kyle?" Kid mumbled around the cigar as he inhaled, lighting it.

"What did you SEE?" Kyle hollered.

"A grizzly." Kid said his grin growing to cover his face, "Heyes had a grizzly breathing down his neck. Let me just say this, when you are that close to a bear, only one thought enters your mind . . . . RUN! And, we did. Came charging out of the thicket like there was a bear on our tails, cause _there_ _was_." Kid slapped his leg, "You never saw such a surprised bunch of men in your life. Can you picture the two of us running straight at a posse with a grizzly bear on our heels?"

"Nope, Kid it be hard to imagine." Wheat said breaking in to laugher.

"I believe Heyes feels the same way." Kid said staring sidelong at Wheat who was now laughing so hard tears were wetting his cheeks. "Well maybe not the same as Wheat 'cause I think it all wounded his dignity some. Myself, me and my dignity feel fine. That bear allowed us to run right through the posse and personally I will live off recalling how they all exploded like cats out of a bog for a long time." Kid said popping his cigar in his mouth as he leaned back against the porch railing.

"Kid all that really, really happen?" Kyle asked his eyes bugging wide.

Pulling out his cigar, Kid took on a serious expressions, "Why hell yes and if you don't believe me . . . why don't you ask our fearless leader if he wants to go bear hunting?"


End file.
